Where You Are
by eXtreme eVolution
Summary: A man desperately wanted to save his brother but was too poor to send him to a hospital, so he took hostages in exchange for the a highly-qualified doctor to treat his brother. No doctor dared to go, except for Naoki. The story takes place post-incident.
1. Where You Are

**Where You Are**

_Author's Note: Out of the blue, I had this dream about Itazura na Kiss. And I just **had** to write it down. The song and later parts of the story were not in my dream but were added to create a better effect. Thank you, nemo, for your feedback. I've taken your advice and removed some of the song lyrics._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Itazura na Kiss. The song used is When You're Gone by Avril Lavigne._

* * *

The rain pattered softly against the umbrella, before sliding off and falling to the ground. Despite the light shower, the chilly wind picked up and Kotoko shivered.

"Are you alright?"

There was a look of concern on Chris' face.

"I'll be fine. Thanks for accompanying me home," Kotoko replied, returning a small appreciative smile.

As Kinnosuke, Chris and Kotoko approached the Irie residence, a wave of familiarity swept over them.

"It sure brings back memories," Kinnosuke blurted out. Chris shot him a look of disapproval. The three of them walked on in silence towards the house. Upon reaching the doorstep, Kinnosuke and Chris bade farewell to Kotoko before departing.

Kotoko could not help but rub her hands together as she stood out in the cold and waited. She closed her eyes and rubbed her arms to warm herself. Suddenly, she felt someone hug her from behind and she smiled, placing her hands over his.

"You're here," she whispered.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Naoki replied with a smug look on his face.

* * *

Kotoko's father was at the window, watching his daughter hug herself. He felt full of sorrow, but it turned into surprise when he noticed a smile on his daughter's face despite the sadness in her eyes.

"Well, well. Naoki's brilliant as usual."

* * *

Kotoko's face turned solemn for a moment, but returned to a smile.

"Nothing. I'm just glad that you're here."

* * *

**I always needed time on my own  
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry  
And the days feel like years when I'm alone  
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side**

_

* * *

_

_**[Flashback]**_

"_We're in a hostage situation!"_

"_Drop your weapons or I'll shoot this man! In exchange for him and two others, bring me the best doctor to treat my brother!"_

"_I'll go."_

"_Dr. Irie, are you sure?"_

"_Who else will go then?"_

_Silence._

_

* * *

_

**When you walk away I count the steps that you take  
Do you see how much I need you right now**

**When you're gone  
The pieces of my heart are missing you  
When you're gone  
The face I came to know is missing too  
When you're gone  
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok  
I miss you**

**I've never felt this way before  
Everything that I do reminds me of you  
And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor  
And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do**

_

* * *

_

**_[Flashback]_**

"_All except two hostages have left the building."_

"_Who's left?"_

"_Some guy and a doctor."_

* * *

**_[Flashback]_**

"_Doctor, don't do anything stupid or you're dead."_

"_Let that man go."_

"_I need him as my get-away ticket."_

"_Then take me instead. Let him go."_

* * *

"Stay with me, Irie-kun," Kotoko said softly.

"Always," replied Naoki.

They stood in silence as the rain continued pouring.

* * *

**We were made for each other  
Out here forever  
I know we were, yeah  
All I ever wanted was for you to know  
Everything I'd do, I'd give my heart and soul  
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me, yeah**

**When you're gone  
The pieces of my heart are missing you  
When you're gone  
The face I came to know is missing too  
When you're gone  
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok  
I miss you**


	2. Remnants

**Remnants**

_Author's Note: This story was originally intended to be a one-shot fic, but I decided to add one more chapter as a special gift. I hope you'll like it._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Itazura na Kiss._

* * *

The curtains fluttered in the breeze as the sun's pale orange rays peeked through. It was a new day. The downpour the previous day had lasted the whole night. Although the morning still remained gloomy, the buildings and vehicles that lined the streets glistened as the light reflected off the water droplets on their surface.

The alarm clock in the bedroom rang incessantly, rousing Kotoko from her sleep. Although her head was still hazy, her hands instinctively searched for the annoying object before finally hitting the snooze button. She groaned, thinking she had to get ready for work, but then remembered that she had taken a few days off after learning of the news about Naoki.

Strange, she thought. She could not recall falling asleep. The last thing she remembered was enjoying a long conversation with Naoki. Slowly, she gathered her strength to lift her head off the pillow, revealing traces of wet stains that had almost dried up. As Kotoko stared at her pillow, then turned to notice the empty room, realization dawned on her and her cheeks began to redden and her eyes became puffy.

Kotoko slipped out of the bed and headed towards the dresser table. Her hands found the framed picture mama had taken for them years before. Naoki had a mischievous look on his face, seemingly mocking her.

"Baka (idiot)," Kotoko muttered under her breath.

"Mama shouldn't say bad words," a tiny voice piped in, jolting Kotoko back to reality.

Wiping away her tears quickly, Kotoko swiveled around to see Kotomi's beaming face, which held the same gleam of mischief in her eyes. Without waiting for a response, Kotomi leapt off the bed and skipped out of the room, a stuffed teddy bear dangling from her tiny fingers. Kotoko was somewhat jealous of her daughter's innocent bliss, yet worried over how long she could keep the truth from her.

Before Kotomi was out of earshot, the little girl cheerily added, "I can't wait to see papa again!"

* * *

That afternoon, Kotoko wandered aimlessly about the empty house, packing and tidying messes that occasionally popped up out of nowhere. She was thankful that papa and Naoki's parents had offered to take care of Kotomi, leaving her with some time to herself.

As she walked past a large oak bookshelf, a familiar Math book caught her eye. It was Naoki's math book from high school, the one she had been so skilled at "borrowing" from Naoki. A small chuckle escaped from her lips, catching her by surprise.

Just then, Kotoko spotted a black leather book, waiting in the shadows behind the math book, which would have easily been missed to the untrained eye. Curious about the secrets lurking within its pages, she flipped what she assumed to be Naoki's diary open.

There sitting at the top-right corner of the first page were two words in a recognizable handwriting, "Caught you."


	3. Things Left Unsaid

**Things Left Unsaid**

_Author's Note: I was rereading the previous chapters and an idea popped into my head. Here is my token of appreciation for your support. :)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Itazura na Kiss._

* * *

Kotoko's face paled when she saw those two words. Fingers trembling, she let the book slip out of her hands and it fell to the floor with a thud.

"Ir-ir-irie-kun?"

No answer.

"This is so not funny. As if seeing your ancestor wasn't enough…," Kotoko muttered under her breath, her voice trailing off as a wave of relief washed over her. She huffed, wiped her hands on her dress and hesitantly bent down to pick up the diary once more. She eyed the book, eager to uncover Naoki's deepest thoughts yet uncertain of what lay within. Her brows narrowed, mentally gathering her courage, and flipped the diary open. It read:

_This is stupid. Normally, I wouldn't write a diary, let alone keep one, but my mother insisted on it. So I assume she found it and read it, then hid it somewhere easier for you to find it again. If you did not find this book in a safe with your birth date as the number code, then my assumptions were right._

Then, below that was a bold scrawl:

**You're welcome, Nao-kun.**

"Oh my word… did Mrs. Irie actually write that?" Kotoko blurted, a grin spilling onto her face, her free hand instinctively covering her mouth to hide her embarrassment, despite no one being around to see it. She paused at a thought, then reread a line.

…_with your birth date as the number code_…

"Irie-kun…," Kotoko said, a spark of delight grew within her till she felt a little lightheaded, surprised that he could even be this remotely clichéd. "I would have figured that out. Eventually," she added with a hint of annoyance. She read on.

_Since this is supposed to be my secret diary, I would appreciate it if **that** someone would keep her nose out of this, because I trust that you would have been able to find this on your own._

**Too late for that.**

At this, Kotoko could not contain her emotions and clutched her sides, half choking on laughter and tears. She did not know whether to laugh or cry, so she did both. Tears splattered on the pages, ugly damp patches spreading across them, leaving behind traces of wrinkles. "Oh no," Kotoko gasped, quickly grabbing a piece of her clothing and dabbing the pages. Thankfully, the ink did not smudge despite the damp unevenness of the pages left behind.

* * *

At dinnertime, Mr. and Mrs. Irie took Kotoko and Kotomi to Papa's restaurant. They ate together like always, commenting on the new Soba and Ramen noodle dishes with various concocted combinations of toppings. Papa and the Iries praised little Kotomi when she handled her tiny chopsticks like a pro, and she replied with a sunshine smile on her face.

However, they found it odd that Kotomi did not finish any of her bowls. She would slurp up her noodles till mid-bowl, then move on to the next one.

"Mi-chan, finish up your bowl first, okay?" Kotoko said.

"But I want to save some for papa."

Incredulous eyes turned towards Kotoko.

"You didn't tell her…?"

"Papa, I couldn't do it."

"Can we talk for a moment outsi-?"

"-No, let me," Mrs. Irie interjected.

The moment the two stepped outside the restaurant and turned at a corner, Kotoko burst out, "Mrs. Irie, it was my responsibility but I didn't know the best way to tell her. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It has been tough for all of us. It will be harder on Mi-chan," Mrs. Irie soothed, wrapping her arm around Kotoko's shoulders to give her a tight squeeze.

* * *

After several cries and protests, Kotomi reluctantly crawled into bed as her mother rested next to her, cradling her head with her arms. Lying in the darkness, the little girl was filled with noisy restless thoughts but said nothing, relinquishing them to the silent, empty night.


End file.
